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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26711056">Pins and Needles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dolceamara/pseuds/sweetdreamsofgelato'>sweetdreamsofgelato (Dolceamara)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>British Actor RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst/Anxiety, F/M, Fluff, descriptions of medical procedures</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:01:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26711056</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dolceamara/pseuds/sweetdreamsofgelato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry must face his fear of needles</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Henry Cavill/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pins and Needles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>@pixie1484 Hey, I love all works of yours..i would like to request you to write a medical fanfic where Henry Cavill is sick or injured and is to recieve butt injections..but is really scared of needles..Please consider my request and write a fanfic regarding this..</p><p>*********************:</p><p>Thanks for wonderful compliment and for sending this request. I am so sorry this took so long, but here it is!</p><p>It isn’t quite a butt injection, but it’s fairly close. </p><p>Also, I am not a trained medical professional, so anything I’ve written is based solely on my limited knowledge gained from internet research. If there are any inaccuracies, you have my apologies. </p><p>Unbeta-ed. All mistakes are my own.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It finally happened.</p><p>Fate determined that she had grown weary of being tempted, and a stunt finally went wrong. Not terribly wrong, as by some divine grace he was still breathing, but the fall definitely left its mark. In those tense minutes right after the accident, he was fairly certain he aged the entire production crew at least ten years. Henry would be shocked if he didn’t have a few more wrinkles and grey hairs of his own.</p><p>Henry didn’t remember much. He had a vague recollection the cables losing tension, and then spinning, and then his upper body landing on the crash mat and bouncing, and his hip hitting the ground with a sickening thud. The pain had been immediate and blindingly intense; he remembered gasping for air and clutching his side as his mind raced with all manner of horrifying possibilities.</p><p>He vaguely recalled the crew screaming and set medic rushing to him. After he was stabilised, he was whisked off to the closest A&amp;E, and then it was a flurry of doctors and a battery of tests. Most of this information was relayed to him after the fact; everything was pretty fuzzy, which all things considered, was probably a blessing.</p><p>Hours later, he vividly remembered the look of complete shock on his attending physician’s face when he remarked, with utter astonishment, that nothing was broken and there were no serious internal injuries. Henry had a nasty contusion on his hip that would require time to heal, and some superficial bumps and scratches, but all in all he was going to be fine.</p><p>Apparently, he was extremely lucky.</p><p>“Are you sure you are not really Superman?” the doctor asked in awe.</p><p>That had made Henry laugh, which of course had made his entire body ache in protest. No more laughing, he decided.</p><p>“So, what’s the prognosis?” Henry asked, his voice raspy with pain and exhaustion. Whilst he was grateful to not be in traction or worse, he was not looking forward to months away from work.</p><p>“It’s hard to say since healing is very individual. You do have some swelling in and around the hip, but that is to be expected. Unfortunately, at this point, it is difficult to say how that will progress. You will need to take care not to exacerbate it.”</p><p>The doctor tucked his chart under his arm. “As for a full recovery,” he hesitated, “I would say around four weeks, assuming you don’t suffer any secondary complications.”</p><p>Since fate was obviously not on speaking terms with him, for once in Henry’s life, he did what he was told. Four weeks at home to rest and recuperate.</p><p>Nothing strenuous or remotely fun.</p><p>The whole, mind-numbingly boring shebang.</p><p>The production crew shifted gears, focusing on anything and everything that didn’t require Henry’s presence on set while he was confined to home and bed whilst he healed. He hated every second of it. Cabin fever was real, and he was suffering. The only upside was he managed to get an obscene amount of gaming done.</p><p>So here he was, four weeks later, and despite dutifully following his doctor’s orders, his hip was still giving him grief.<br/>
<br/>
The stiff hospital gown he wore scratched at his overly sensitive skin as Henry shifted nervously on the examination table. If he were able to walk, he would be pacing the room like a caged tiger, but not being able to walk properly was, essentially, the reason he was here in the first place.</p><p>Henry liked to think himself a fairly courageous man. The list of things that truly frightened him was relatively short, and generally, even then, he could usually bite the bullet and carry on.</p><p>After another x-ray and examination, the doctor determined his hip joint was inflamed. A common complication and nothing serious, but the course of treatment a hip injection to help improve his mobility.</p><p>But it involved needles.</p><p>Henry visibly shuddered. It was amazing how he’d gotten this far in life without so many instances with them, and he was thankfully so out of it whilst in hospital that he hadn’t even noticed being poked and prodded during the initial tests. But now, he was fully alert and ready to claw his skin off.</p><p>It wasn’t so much a matter of closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. No, he knew the needle was there. He could feel its existence and proximity and that was enough to make him want to run screaming from the room. Or just outright faint, which had happened more times than he wished to admit.</p><p>Every sound, every touch, every minuscule movement in the air made his heart race and his entire body break out into a cold sweat.</p><p>“How’re you doing?” Y/N asked softly, taking his hands in hers and giving them a reassuring squeeze. She sat on the table next to him and did her best to be a calming presence. He knew she was anxious, if only because he was, but there was something oddly comforting about that particular show of solidarity.</p><p>Henry grunted noncommittally. He was in no mood to talk about his feelings; he never was when stressed. He much preferred to ignore his emotions altogether, at least until he was better able to process them aloud, and he was grateful Y/N understood that about him. She soothed her hand over his bare arm before giving his hand another squeeze.</p><p>Logically, he knew it was ridiculous to feel emasculated by his phobia, yet he still did. The only thing harder than agreeing to the procedure was telling Y/N about it. It was never easy to admit weakness but being forced to do so was beyond galling.</p><p>He wouldn’t have said anything at all, but as his appointment had loomed closer, Henry realised that he wasn’t going to be able to do it alone. He needed someone to keep him calm, otherwise he would certainly end up suffering a full-blown panic attack.</p><p>Before his mind could hurtle farther down the rabbit hole of anxiety, the door opened.</p><p>“Good morning.” Doctor Harris stepped in with a placid smile stretched across his face. He introduced himself to Y/N before he glanced briefly at his chart. “How are you, Henry?”</p><p>“I’m here,” Henry grumbled, sounding far more recalcitrant than a man his age should.</p><p>The doctor chuckled, “Yes, I imagine it is a bit of a moot question. Any changes since your last appointment?”</p><p>Henry shook his head and dutifully answered all of Doctor Harris’ questions. Anxiety slinked across his nerves, and every fibre of his body drew taut as he tried to stamp it down. His gut rioted with unease when the doctor set aside his chart and rose from his stool.</p><p>Henry swallowed thickly. It was time.</p><p>“As I mentioned before, the injection is very straight forward and will only take a few minutes. You should feel relief within a day or two, but you still need to take care with your hip until the inflammation is gone, otherwise you risk further injury.” He paused briefly and then asked, “Shall we get it over with?”</p><p>Henry sighed and nodded heavily. He really wanted to get back to work and having to continue to rest and be patient was not exactly what he wanted to hear, but regardless the procedure had to be done.</p><p>“I will be sure he doesn’t fling himself off any buildings until he has a clean bill of health.” Y/N gave Henry a playful nudge, obviously trying to break the tension with a little levity.</p><p>Doctor Harris smiled, “I would be most appreciative of that.” He turned back to Henry. “I’ll make a few marks on your skin for positioning, and I will use an ultrasound whilst I give the injection, so you will feel some coolness from the gel and then a slight prick of the needle and then we will be done.”</p><p>The doctor moved to the sink to wash his hands and Henry’s gaze immediately dropped to the floor. Panic clawed down his throat and gripped his chest. His nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply, trying in vain to calm his increasingly frantic heartbeat. It took every ounce of will to not quit the room completely. He gripped Y/N’s hand with more force than he probably should, but if he caused her any pain, she gave no indication.</p><p>The snap of the doctor’s gloves sound rang in his ears like a gunshot.</p><p>“If you would please lie back,” Doctor Harris said as he walked around the examination table. Beside him was a small wheeled cart upon which sat a tray. He removed the small cloth over it to reveal various instruments and, of course, the dreaded needle.</p><p>Henry’s jaw clenched and Y/N pressed firmly at the pressure point between his thumb and forefinger. Fear chased away his voice, so he was grateful when she asked, “Ah, Doctor, Henry has a bit of a thing with needles. Is it possible for me to help keep him calm during the injection?”</p><p>“Of course,” Doctor Harris replied. There was a gentle understanding in his voice; it didn’t even make a dent in Henry’s distress, but he was grateful for it, all the same. “Take as much time as you need.”</p><p>As Henry lay back, Y/N extracted a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and Henry’s phone from her bag and handed them to him.</p><p>“Remember, deep, calming breaths,” she said.</p><p>He quickly put the headphones on and set his playlist to full blast, drowning out all other sounds in the room. Henry lay stock still on the table as he concentrated on his breathing. Any movement from him and he feared he’d bolt from the room, being bare arsed in a hospital gown be damned.</p><p>Y/N’s hand slid into his, and after a moment he gave it a squeeze, which was their predetermined signal that he was ready.</p><p>A cool rush of air brushed his bare skin when his gown fell aside. The doctor palpated his hip and he felt the quick flicks of the marker, followed by the cold wetness of the gel.</p><p>All the while, Y/N’s fingers kneaded gently into various pressure points. From his hand, and then to his wrist. She moved upward, pressing just below the crook of his elbow. He focused on her touch and sighed, audibly he wasn’t sure, but each movement was strong and steadfast, yet gentle and calming.</p><p>One of her fingertips pushed gently on his forehead between his eyes, then at his temples and then finally at the top of his head.</p><p>Before he realised it, Y/N gently squeezed his shoulders, and Henry felt the headphones lift and ambient noise flooded his ears.</p><p>“All done. You were an excellent patient, Henry.”</p><p>His eyes were still pinched shut as he drew in deep and deliberate breaths. He could scarcely believe they were already finished. He hadn’t felt a thing, well, other than soul-crushing anxiety.</p><p>There was a brief pause and then he heard Y/N say, “Oh, definitely that one.”</p><p>The doctor gently patted his hip and there was a muffled shuffling of paperwork and footsteps.</p><p>He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but Henry finally opened one eye, followed by the other. He flinched at the florescent glare, but he saw the doctor and Y/N in discussion about one thing or another. There was still a faint ringing in his ears, and he really couldn’t register much yet.</p><p>He slowly sat up and swivelled around so his legs hung over the side of the table. The doctor turned to him and said, “If you have any abnormal pain or new symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact us. As I said, you should feel relief fairly quickly, but please don’t overdo it. I will see you again in a couple of weeks, just to be sure it is healing properly.”</p><p>Doctor Harris shook hands and bid them good day, leaving Henry alone with Y/N as he redressed.</p><p>“How’re you feeling?” Y/N asked as she placed the headphones and phone back in her bag.</p><p>“I–” Henry wasn’t sure exactly how he felt. Normal? Shockingly so. He was still running on a considerable adrenaline high, but other than that he felt…fine. Slightly edgy, but relieved.</p><p>“I’m great. Thank you for coming.”</p><p>Y/N slid in between his knees and dropped a quick kiss on his nose. “I am here whenever and however you need me. Now get dressed, I do believe I promised you ice cream since you were such a good boy.”</p><p>Henry gave her a cheeky slap on her behind before he eased off the table. “I can think of a better reward.”</p><p>“Nope. No, sir.” Y/N shook her head firmly.</p><p>“I like when you call me sir.” The tension in his jaw began to ease as he smiled.</p><p>Y/N shot him a look of amused exasperation. “You heard the doctor. No aggravating that hip whilst it heals.”</p><p>“Fine,” he conceded as he jammed his good leg into his joggers, “but I want three scoops.”</p><p>Later that evening, Henry felt remarkably improved. The pain was noticeably less, and he walked with more ease, and it filled him with such relief that he was tempted to do a jig – though he didn’t, for obvious reasons.</p><p>“Hey Y/N, I’m going to shower.”</p><p>Y/N, who was tucked snuggly under the downy duvet of their bed, nodded, though her eyes didn’t leave the book in her hands.</p><p>Henry slid into the ensuite bathroom and flipped on the light. He quickly disrobed and tossed his clothes haphazardly toward the laundry basket in the corner.</p><p>Without looking at it, he ran a hand gently over his hip, his fingertips brushing over the small plaster placed over the injection site. Henry staunchly refused to look at it all day; every time he so much as thought about it, it brought back visions of gigantic needles and he wanted no part of that.</p><p>But now, Henry glanced down, finally ready – both literally and figuratively – to rip off the bandage.</p><p>Had he been in the bedroom, he would have seen the diabolical grin that crept across Y/N’s face when Henry yelled, “A Batman plaster? <em>Really</em>?!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Find me on Tumblr @ https://sweetdreamsofgelato.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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